Trejo’s Chicken Wings with Blue Cheese Dip

These wings have a lot in common with Buffalo wings, except you don’t have to fry them and you use a good old Mexican hot sauce instead of the traditional Frank’s Hot Sauce that they use in New York. Not frying means you’ve got more time to watch the game and don’t have to worry about one of your friends knocking the hot oil all over the place when your team scores. Make the dip a day or two before the game so you’ll have it ready when the wings come out of the oven.

Serves 4 to 6 (makes 2 cups dip)

Wings

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon paprika

2 pounds chicken wings (about 20 pieces), cut into drumettes and flats, patted dry with paper towels

1 tablespoon canola oil

4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, melted

2 tablespoons hot sauce, such as Trejo’s, Tapatío, or Cholula

Blue Cheese Dip

1 cup crumbled blue cheese

½ cup sour cream

¼ cup mayonnaise

Juice of ½ lemon

1 tablespoon whole milk or buttermilk

1 small garlic clove, chopped

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Roast the Wings Preheat the oven to 400°F.

In a large bowl, combine the baking powder, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, and paprika. Add the wings and stir to coat them.

Line an 11 x 17-inch sheet pan with aluminum foil. Use the canola oil to grease the foil and then turn the wings out onto the pan. Roast the wings until they’re golden brown, about 45 minutes.

Make the Dip In a medium bowl, whisk together the blue cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice, milk, garlic, and a few pinches each of salt and pepper. Stir to combine, then taste and add more salt or pepper if needed. Serve immediately, or cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for up to 3 days.

Sauce the Wings In a small bowl, whisk together the melted butter and the hot sauce. As soon as the wings come out of the oven, pour the spicy butter sauce over them and toss to coat. Serve with the blue cheese dip.